University of Almería, Spain

Clinical session on the intervention in cases of child emotional problems

Four clinical studies on child-adolescent cases with different psychological disorders will be presented, all of which are internalizing and are based on emotional difficulties, specifically: borderline personality disorder, mood disorder or avoidant disorder with suicide attempt, posttraumatic stress after severe cranioencephalic trauma, and emotional selective mutism. Furthermore, the cases are analysed and treated from different perspectives and therapeutic strategies (from a systemic perspective and attachment theory, from a functional-contextual perspective including third generation therapies, from a neuropsychological and psychoeducational perspective) and in different contexts (clinical context in itself even through games, family context and school context). In the light of the successful and new results in all the clinical cases we can conclude that: in all of them there is a need of interdisciplinary interventions, that do not stigmatize, more focussed on emotional well-being than on symptom based treatments, based on positive psychology and with an integral approach (when considering the family dynamic and the social-educative environment of the children), and with a special emphasis on the family bonds and attachments and on the functional-contextual analysis of the cases. Furthermore, all the cases show evidence of follow-ups and generalization of the achieved goals in the session. 

Inmaculada Gómez Becerra, is a Professor at the University of Almería, with favourable accreditation to obtain the highest academic rank that can be reached by an university professor (catedrática), and has got 3 six-year researches. Her research work is focussed on the analysis of risk and protection factors of psychological problems in infancy and adolescence, with an emphasis on emotional intelligence and on parental styles of upbringing; and on intervention with families using third generation therapies. She has got more than 90 publications, she has participated in more than 130 congresses, and 10 research projects; she has directed 4 doctorate thesis; she is a editor for national and international journals and a member of different scientific committees. She directs the research team “Progress in research and epidemiology in infancy, adolescence and families”. She has participated and / or coordinated different training activities with professionals from different fields (education, psychology, medicine), and she has carried out numerous schools for parents. She has got the qualification of General Health Psychologist.